Carrot Troublesby Matthais UnidostresChapters123451In a darkened section of the Everfree Forest, the underbrush rustled from the small figure moving through it. The crunching of dead leaves and the rustling of tall grass could be heard amid the soundtrack of insects and birds. Out of several stalks of tall grass came the head of a white bunny rabbit. Fluttershy's closest animal companion was quite a ways from home at the moment. However, this wouldn't be the first time Angel Bunny had strayed into the Everfree Forest. Every once in awhile, Angel would not be content with a meal that the Pegasus had set before him. It would either lack in flavor, lack in effort, lack in freshness, or simply just be lacking. In the past, tantrums were enough to get what he wanted, but now all tantrums had gotten him was the Stare. Therefore, the bunny would have no choice but to search for something better himself. It turned out that the Everfree was home to some pretty large vegetables. As for why, maybe it was the fact that the forest's nature and weather was out of pony control, or perhaps it was because of the Tree of Harmony, or Discord's plunder seeds, or Nightmare Moon's residual influence. Not that Angel particularly cared about that. All he knew was that the Everfree had some big vegetables, he wanted them, and liked going for them. Now, the Everfree Forest did have a reputation of being dangerous. Angel Bunny also had a reputation as well. He wasn't your average, sweet, timid, defenseless prey. Angel was a rough and tough customer, not to mention speedy and quick witted. So, these occasional excursions into the Everfree were no big deal to him. With a empty, rumbling tummy, Angel hopped around the shadowy forest floor, sniffing the ground in search of anything large and edible. The bunny frowned as he continued along, until his nose suddenly caught whiff of something very appealing. Straightening up, Angel hopped forwards towards a bush, and then pushed his way right through it. Before him was a rather small clearing in the darkened forest, and in the center of that clearing were the leafy stalks of a carrot growing out of the ground. Angel smiled and chuckled happily at the welcoming sight of the carrot leaves, and he swiftly bounded over to them. As he did this, however, he failed to notice the ominous sign as he ran over it, his rabbit feet trampling over the grave and cryptic words: BEWARE THE CURSED CARROT THAT REFUSES TO BE EATEN! DO NOT TOUCH! Blissfully unaware of the warning, Angel Bunny ran up to the vegetable and stood rubbing his paws together and smirking like a super villain. He then grabbed the green stalks with his paws and gave them a tug. He could already see the orange of the carrot below peeking out of the dirt. Eager to get his paws on the sweet vegetable, Angel gave the carrot top three swift tugs. The carrot was clearly quite big, as while it did move upwards a few inches, most of it was still securely stuck below the ground. The impatient bunny that he was, Angel huffed and chomped onto the green carrot leaves, swiftly eating them up leaving only a short green stem left on the carrot. He then grabbed the sides of the orange top of the carrot and twisted it left and right twice in each direction in an attempt to unscrew the carrot out of the ground. This did make some progress, as now the carrot was halfway out of the ground. And yet, this was a rather large carrot, about as tall as Angel himself minus his ears. With his impatience growing, Angel Bunny let go of the carrot and laid down on the ground in front of it. He then put both of his big rabbit feet on either side of it, gripping it tightly, eyes closed and face scrunched up in exertion, and pulled upwards three times. CRACK! Angel's eyes popped open and his body froze as both of his ears shot upward. Then his right ear twitched as it began to pick up some sounds coming from beneath him. CRACK-crack-crackle-crackle. . . As Angel laid on his back and looked between his big feet, he could see a crack snacking out from where the tip of the carrot was still stuck in the ground. He watched as rocks and dirt popped out of the crack as it moved forwards and away from him and the carrot. Angel then looked up and suddenly saw the reason for why this section of the Everfree Forest was so dark even though it was in the middle of the afternoon. There was a large cliff shadowing this part of the forest, and the crack was racing right up the side of this cliff. Angel sat up and watched as the crack went all the way up the cliff-face and then over the top of it. POP! Angel could see bit of rock go flying at the top of the tall cliff, but his ears could also pick up the sound of moving earth and sliding stone grinding against more stone. Then a large section of the cliff appeared to just come loose and fall down several feet before it then started to slid forward, headed right for him. Angel's ears finally moved out of their straight position and hung down low as the bunny gulped nervously. As the shadow of the huge section of cliff loomed over him, Angel got back up on his feet and ran back the way he had come. However, about three seconds into his running, he paused mid step and swiftly turned around towards the large carrot, it's tip still wedged into the ground. Angel's chest heaved as his eyes darted between the carrot and the approaching cliff. He then reached into his fluffy tail and pulled out his silver stopwatch. He took a good look at it, doing a few quick calculations in his head, then he put it away and ran back towards the carrot. Upon reaching the vegetable, Angel grabbed it with one paw and swiftly turned around to take off with it. Angel let out a gasp when his dash was stopped by the carrot's refusal to come out, as there was still a good two inches of it stuck in the ground. Angel turned around and grabbed the carrot with both paws, then gave a strong tug straight upwards. When the carrot still didn't budge, Angel threw his head back and pulled it at an angle, grunting and groaning and throwing his back into it. Angel caught his breath for a moment, only to let out a gasp when he saw the approaching cliff. The bunny turned away from the source of the dark shadow, shaking his head and closing his eyes, and then ran around to the other side of the carrot and tried pushing it with his paws. Angel ran forwards as he pushed, his feet unable to find purchase in the soft, loose soil. When this technique failed, Angel ran back around the carrot again and once again tried pulling it straight up, but to no avail. But then, an idea struck Angel, causing his ears to stick up like signal flags. He looked down at his big, strong feet, then at the carrot. Then he quickly lifted his left foot and placed it against the side of the carrot. Then he grabbed hold of the vegetable with his paws and pulled with all his might while pushing off with his foot. POP! Angel went flying backwards and landed flat on his back, and large carrot landing on his stomach. As Angel instinctively grabbed the carrot with his paws, he looked and let out a horrified scream as he saw the massive boulders and pointy chunks of rocks that were being kicked up the moving cliff headed in his general directions. Angel quickly got up and ran for his life as the giant stone projectiles smashed into the ground inches behind him. Trees and bushes were taken out all around him as the rain of stone crushed everything in its path. All Angel could focus on was running away as fast as he could while still holding the large carrot in his paws. Angel tore through a bush and ended up jumping off the top of a steep incline. In desperation, Angel moved the carrot underneath him so that he landed on top of it and was now riding it like a sled down the incline. Angel's eyes were wide as he was on the cusp of hyperventilation, his chest heaving up and down. Then, a dark shadow was cast over him. He looked up and saw a massive boulder flying through the air right above him. Angel let out another scream and leaned forward, willing his carrot sled to go just a little faster as he approached the bottom of the incline. CRASH! Angel was suddenly stopped cold as along with the crash of the boulder he could feel his fluffy tail being flattened. Angel looked behind him and saw that the boulder hand landed a centimeter away from crushing him, only managing to land on his tail. However, the boulder was slowly rolling forward, moments away from crushing the rabbit completely. Angel pulled the carrot out from under him and held it outward as he felt his but beginning to be flattened. He then stabbed the tip of the carrot into the ground in front of him and used it as an anchor to pull his body free from the boulder. Just as the boulder was rolling onto his feet and legs, the pop-eyed bunny gave one final desperate tug, and both he and the carrot were inexplicable flung out from under the boulder and into the air. Angel flailed his arms and legs, and immediately grabbed hold of the carrot and held it close. He smiled smugly at his ingenuity, taking pride in his escape from the boulder. Then he looked down, and he let out another terrified scream as he saw that was falling over the side of yet another cliff. Angel held up his carrot as he landed on his stomach and slid down another incline, then hit a ramp-shaped rock that sent him upwards and caused him to lose hold of the carrot. Angel bounced down the incline, landing on his head twice, then on his stomach, then his back, then face flat on level ground. He laid there for a moment, his nose twitching to show that he was still alive. Then he opened his eyes, and made a shaky attempt to get up. He realize that his buck teeth were stuck into the ground, and took a moment to pull them out and shake off his dizziness. He stood up on his feet and looked around, and saw that was no longer in the Everfree Forest, but still somewhere in the wilds of nature. Angel's eyes then widened as he recalled the reason for his harrowing experience, and he looked around for any sign of the large carrot. He sniffed around for it a bit, only to slouch slightly when he found no trace of the vegetable. Angel's stomach gurgled loudly, and tears welled up in his eyes as Angel stood dejected with his ears hanging low. Clunk! Something struck Angel in the back of the head, causing him to wobble slightly from a new bout of dizziness. Angel blinked his eyes and shook his head in shock when he saw the carrot lying on the ground in front of him. Angel quickly grabbed the carrot and hugged it, smiling in relief and sniffing it from top to tip. With a big grin on his face, Angel stood up tall, held the carrot up to his mouth, and prepared to take a bite. Stomp! A pale yellow pony hoof suddenly came down on top of the bunny, squashing him while also causing the carrot to go flying out of his paws. "Huh? What the-?" "What is it Sandbar?" "I think I stepped on something." "Ewwww." "No-no-no, wait. It actually. . .felt nice and soft." ". . .Yeah. . .riiiiiight. . ." "No, Smolder, really. I swear! I'm being totally honest here." ". . .Fine, make way." The pale yellow hoof was raised, and three more hooves followed it away. Angel lifted his head out of the hoofprint. Angel blinked his eyes and looked around dizzily. STOMP! An orange dragon foot came down even harder on top of the rabbit, and this one pressed down and twisted slightly while atop the rabbit. "Huh. . . how about that? He's right. It is pretty soft. Feels better than walking on hard igneous rocks, that's for sure. You want a turn, Ocellus?" "Oh, I don't know. . . I mean, we don't even know what's going on here." "C'mon, it's safe. Don't you like learning and stuff?" The orange scaly foot came back up, and Angel quickly sat up with a pained yet dazed expression on his face as it and a second scaly foot followed and left him behind. "Well . . .okay, for the sake of research. . ." Stomp! A light blue chitinous hoof landed on the bunny, pressing down slightly after landing. ". . .Interesting. . .it is rather soft. . . Like a pillow." "Really?! Cool! My turn!" "Sure, Silverstream." The light blue chitinous hoof was lifted, and it joined three others in gently and daintily tip-toeing away. Angel rolled over and raised his arms, along with his left foot. Thump! A magenta colored talon landed heavily on Angel, but quickly bounced off leaving Angel stunned and lying flat on his back. The flapping of wings could be heard coming from above as well. "Teeheeheehee! That was kinda bouncy! Your turn, Gallus!" "Ah. . .no." "Aww, come on, Gally! For me? Pleeease?" ". . .Ugh, okay, if that's what you want." Thump! An yellow eagle's talon came down right on top of Angel, and quickly went on its way, followed by another eagle talon and two blue lion paws. "There. I did it. I felt nothing." "Really? But it- oh, I know! Try using one of your paws instead!" "Ugh! Fine!" STOMP! One of the blue lion paws stepped backwards and landed hard on top of the bunny. "Heeeeey. . . .not bad. Not bad at all. . ." The lion paw pressed deep into the hoof print, the toes flexing as they felt around. "Yeah, it's kinda like a cloud, I guess. Nice pad support. Still weird though." The blue paw and its twin walked off, and Angel shakily reached his own soft white paw up out of the depression in the ground, his right eye twitching and both ears bent and crooked. "Yona's turn!" STOMP! A dark grey cloven hoof came down hard on top Angel with a solid, powerful impact. ". . .Why yak no feel anything?" The dark grey cloven hoof came up, this time with Angel stuck to the bottom of it. The hoof Angel was stuck to joined three others as Angel was walked off, and was squashed down hard into the ground again when another step was taken. "Strange. . .and there's nothing there now." "You're right, Ocellus. Whatever we were stepping on is gone!" "Forget it, Sandbar. It doesn't matter anyway. C'mon guys." "How can you say that, Gallus? We can't just leave this mystery unsolved!" "Ocellus. . ." The six creatures proceeded to walk away from the area, continuing to talk amongst themselves as they resumed their friendship nature hike, while Angel continued to soundlessly cry out in pain as he was repeatedly stomped into the ground beneath the hoof of the yak with every step the yak took. "You know, we really should've just taken a moment to look down at what were stepping on." "Friend Silverstream is right! Why no creature stop and look? Now Yona miss out!" All the while, the carrot continued to bounce and roll away. Author's Note This fanfic is dedicated to Dinoman213. May he soon find his own special way to show off his writing skills on this site that can truly showcase his own creativity, imagination, and sense of humor. 2The rising Sun peeked over the horizon and shed its light upon the six creatures still asleep at their campsite. They had all agreed that there was no need to bring any tents. The weather was so warm and absolutely lovely that they could rest in their sleeping bags under the stars. As the new day dawned above, movement could be seen within Yona's sleeping bag. All night, Angel Bunny had been trying his hardest to peel himself off the underside of the yak's cloven hoof. Being stomped over and over and over during the duration of the long hike had gotten him quite flat against the hoof. After so many hours, however, Angel had finally freed himself, and was able to carefully crawl out of Yona's sleeping bag. The yak rolled over in her sleep and snored loudly in the bunny's face. Angel gagged at the yak's breath, and quickly crawled away from her, coughing a few times as he laid on the ground. Angel laid still a moment to catch his breath, then slowly got up to his feet and stretched his back out a bit. At the height of his stretch, his spine gave a click, and a look of blissful relief crossed Angel's face. The bunny then reached behind him and fluffed his tail out a bit, then he smiled and nodded, and went to take a step forward. Whoosh! Angel's ears were suddenly seized by a yellow eagle talon, and the bunny was hoisted up into the air. Angel was then turned so that he could see the creature who had grabbed him. Gallus smiled as he looked the bunny up and down. Angel's coughing from earlier had woken him up, first to the blue griffon's annoyance, but then to his delight. "Alright, I'd say that you're just the right size for breakfast," Gallus said, grinning with a hungry look in his eyes. Angel let out a soft scream as the griffon lifted the bunny up higher. Then Gallus tilted his head back and opened up his beak, and held the bunny right over his wide open mouth. Angel flailed around wildly, and ended up kicking Gallus in the lower beak, causing Gallu's beak to snap shut with loud sharp clack. The griffon to let out a loud squawk of pain from the vibrations that ran through his beak and face, dropping the bunny to the ground in the process. "OWW! Why you-!?" Gallus began as he rubbed his beak. Silverstream suddenly sat up quickly said, "What!? What is it!? What's going on!?" Yona sleepily rubbed her eyes and said, "Why griffon wake everycreature up?" Smolder, not at all pleased by being woken up, growled as she sat up as well, saying, "My thoughts exactly, Yona." Ocellus, ever the observant one, took a good look at the surroundings and said, "Where did that bunny come from?" Silverstream tilted her head and drawled out, "Awwww! So cute!" Sandbar looked at the bunny in surprise and said, "Hang on. . . That's Angel! He's Professor Fluttershy's bunny!" "Uh-oh," Smolder muttered. The other five creatures all got out of their sleeping bags and gathered together near the bunny and griffon. Angel finished dusting himself off, then he shot Gallus a rather dirty look. "Hmmph!" Gallus replied. Ocellus looked at Angel and said, "Very strange. I wonder what Professor Fluttershy's bunny is doing all the way out here?" Sandbar shrugged and said, "Too bad Professor Fluttershy isn't here. She could just ask him for us." Gallus rolled his eyes and said grumpily, "Well she ain't here, so I guess we'll never know." Angel blinked at this, then slowly turned to Gallus, smirking an evil smirk as he did so. Then Angel turned back to others, wearing a innocent look on his face, and cupped his right paw against the base of his right ear. Ocellus looked curiously at the bunny and said slowly, "Sounds like. . .?" Silverstream gasped and clapped her talons giddily, "Ohmigosh! Charades! I LOVE Charades!" Angel smiled broadly and nodded at the changeling and hippogriff. Silverstream smiled and nodded back, and said eagerly, "Okay, okay! Sounds like . . .what?" Angel put on a frown and began sniffling, and he ran his paws down his cheeks under both of his eyes. Ocellus nodded and said, "Sounds like cry. . .Hmmm . . .Fly?" "High? Thigh? Sigh?" Silverstream guessed wildly. "Try?" Sandbar offered. Angel pointed to Sandbar and nodded. "Okay," Sandbar said, "What's next?" Angel held up two digits on his right paw. Smolder raised an eyebrow and asked, "Two? Two what?" Angel shook his head, and he cupped his paw against the base of his ear again. "Sounds like two?" Smolder said as she tapped her foot, "You mean like, 'try to', or would that be 'tried to'?" Angel hopped up and excitedly at Smolder's second guess. "Okay. . ." Smolder said as she stood with one claw on her hip, "So, tried to what?" Angel opened his mouth wide and pretended to chomp on something, pausing occasionally to lick his lips or swallow. "Ooh, ooh! Yona knows this one! Eat!" the yak cried out proudly. Angel smiled at Yona and nodded. "Okay then," Ocellus said, "So, tried to eat. . .what?" Angel made his eyes as big as he could, put on the saddest face he could muster, and timidly pointed at himself. Silverstream gasped in horror and exclaimed, "Somecreature tried to eat you, Angel!?" Angel nodded his head sadly. Silverstream frowned in righteous fury and said, "That's terrible! That's awful! What kind of horrible, terrible, heartless, evil monster would do such a thing!" In the corner of his eye, Angel could see that Gallus was fidgeting and beginning to sweat. Angel considered simply pointing at him, but the mischievously devious part of him decided it would be more fun to drag it out a bit longer. So, instead, Angel cupped his paw against the base of his ear again, and then played an air guitar for a bit before pretending to flip a switch up. Smolder looked at Angel in utter confusion and said, "Sounds like. . . guitar switch? Huh?" Angel frowned impatiently and shook his head, and he want back to playing his air guitar, putting emphasis in harshly strumming the strings. Yona's brow furrowed in thought as she said, "Does bunny mean. . .music? Song? Noise?" Sandbar rubbed his chin with his right forehoof and said, "It looks like he's. . .riffing that guitar-." Angel smiled and pointed at Sandbar, nodding his head up and down quickly. Sandbar's eyes lit up, "Oh, riff! Sounds like riff!" Angel nodded, and he started to mime flipping a switch up over and over. The light left Sandbar's eyes as he said awkwardly, "Yeah, I don't know what he's doing now. Sorry." "Hmmm," Ocellus said, "I wonder what he's turning on by-." Angel let out an excited squeak and pointed at Ocellus. The changeling blinked and said, "What did I say?" "On?" Sandbar guessed. Angel jumped up into the air and backflipped in delight. Silverstream gasped and happily briefly took to the air as well. "On! On! Sounds like 'riff on'! We got it!" Angel turned to Gallus and snickered. The blue griffon's tail was between his legs, and he was nervously digging his talons into the ground. Clearly Gallus wanted to be anywhere but where he was right now. Angel folded his arms and smiled with his eyes closed, standing with self righteous smugness. "Okay, okay, let's see. Sounds like 'riff on'. Hmmm," the hippogriff said as she hovered in midair, then she snapped her claws and said, "I've got it! Chevron!" Angel opened his eyes as his smile fell flat. Smolder stared at Silverstream and asked, "What's a chevron?" "Oh, it's a mark that hippogriffs in the navy wear on their uniforms," Silverstream explained, "They help show what their rank is or how long they've served. Auntie Novo told me a lot about the hippogriff navy and royal guard." ". . .I don't think a chevron can eat bunny," Smolder said in a flat tone with a deadpanned expression. Silverstream blinked her eyes, then blushed as she landed back down on the ground. "Oh yeah. Sorry." Ocellus scratched the side of her head with her forehoof and said, "Hmmm. . .sounds like 'riff on.' 'Riff on.' Hmmmm. . ." "Chiffon?" Sandbar suggested. "Okay, what's that?" Smolder said, now sounding annoyed. "It's a type of cake," Sandbar replied. Yona laughed and said, "Silly Sandbar! Chiffon isn't cake! Chiffon is dress!" During all this, Angel's mouth was hanging open as he stared at the five youn creatures in disbelief. Then he slowly turned to look at Gallus, who now had a comical grin on his beak. Eager to get rid of that grin, Angel grunted and pointed furiously at the griffon. But when he turned back to the five creatures, he saw that they were no longer looking his way and were now focused on each other as they engaged in a focused discussion. "Actually," Ocellus interjected, "The word chiffon can be used to describe either a type of cake or a type of dressmaking fabric." "Whatever!" Smolder shouted, "Neither of them could eat a bunny!" "They could if Discord brought them to life," Sandbar suggested. Yona shuddered and said, "Yona no like Discord! Discord sent monsters after Yona!" Silverstream gulped nervously and said, "That sure sounds creepy. An evil cake monster that eats you. Or an evil dress that swallows you when you dry to put it on! Scary!" Angel thumped his right foot harder and faster to try and get the other creatures attention as he continued to furiously point at Gallus. The griffon could tell that his luck was going to run out pretty soon, so with quick thinking, he recalled the time he visited Sweet Apple Acres and turned around so that the bunny was right behind him. Then, after taking a deep breath and steeling himself, Gallus bucked with his right hind leg with all his might, and the blue lion paw struck Angel dead center and sent him flying and spinning up and over the trees and into the forest. When the bunny's screams had faded away and the bunny himself was out of sight, Gallus breathed out to calm himself, then turned to his friends, still deep in their discussion of cakes, dresses, and words with multiple meanings, and he said, "Hey, he's gone!" Everycreature stopped talking and looked at the spot where Angel was a moment ago. "Where'd he go?" Ocellus asked. Gallus shrugged, "I don't know. We were all so busy talking, I guess he gave up trying to talk to us and decided to head home on his own." Silverstream looked worried, and she said, "Oh dear! He's all alone! We should try to find him and bring him back to Fluttershy!" Gallus shook his head and waved a talon carelessly. "Forget it," he said, "That bunny is no wimp. He can take care of himself." "But-," Silverstream began, only to be interrupted by Smolder. "Gallus is right," the orange dragon said, "Spike told me all about that little rodent. He's a jerk. Not to mention tough and totally not a pushover. He probably beat up whoever or whatever tried to eat him and is just trying to get sympathy and free food from us. If even half of what Spike told me about that bunny is true, then he'll make it back home safe with no problem. Trust me." Silverstream scratched her beak and said, "Well. . . ." Then she perked up and said with a smile, "Okay!" 3The blue griffon's buck would have made any Apple Family member proud. The forced of the blue lion paw against the rabbit's body sent Angel flying quite a distance. And not just flying, but spinning too. Angel tumbled and spun through the air high above the trees, until he finally began to fall downwards at an angle towards the forest. Splat! Angel's back collided with the side of a medium sized tree, and the rabbit hung there, gasping for breath after his wild ride through the sky courtesy of Gallus. Eventually, Angel began to wonder why he was seemingly stuck to the side of the tree . He blinked, and tried to move tail, only to discover that his entire bottom was stuck to the tree. It didn't take long for Angel to come to the conclusion that he had smacked against a tree that was oozing tree sap. Angel groaned, resenting the fact that he looked like one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders before they got their Cutie Marks. He hung his head low in shame, his ears hanging even lower. But then, his ears shot up when he saw the bright orange carrot from earlier on the forest floor below him. His stomach growled, and Angel focused on the carrot below as he planted his feet flat against the side of the tree. He then used his paws to push himself upwards, even as the tree sap still held onto his rear. Angel struggled as he walked down the side of the tree, struggling against the pull of the tree sap. Clenching his teeth, and Angel reached forward as he gripped the rough bark of the tree with his feet. Soon enough, he made it to the bottom, still with a stretched out glob of tree sap covering his tail. Angel licked his lips as he approached the large carrot. Soon the vegetable was only two steps away, and Angel was smiling eagerly as raised his paws to grab it. WHAM! The tree suddenly began uprooted, the tree sap connected it to Angel snapped the tree down right on top of him. The uprooted tree then rolled sideways down into a ravine, where it landed onto some rocks, causing it to rest at an upward angle. Angel Bunny was dazed by being slammed by the tree, but when he regained his senses, the first thing he saw was the carrot on the ground a few inches away from him. Angel went to grab it, only to discover that now he could barely move his entire body. The sticky sensation all over him made him realize that when the tree had landed on him, it had also oozed so much tree sap that it had glued his entire body to the side of the tree, spread eagled yet. Angel looked around nervously, then his eyes fell upon the carrot. When the tree fell, it had also sent tree sap flying in all directions, and one glob of the sticky substance had landed on the carrot. This gave Angel an idea, and he quickly began to puff out his fuzzy chest towards the carrot. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head as he bent his knees and elbows, forcing his body out towards the carrot. Then, after such great exertion, Angel's tummy finally made contact with the carrot. Angel gasped out with relief as relaxed his body. He smiled down at the carrot stuck to his chest, and he opened his mouth and moved his head down towards it. Then Angel opened his eyes, and he made several more attempts to move his head down. He struggled to crane his neck down to it, only to find that he could not reach the carrot. Angel stuck out his tongue, desperately trying to taste the carrot, but not matter how much he craned his neck or how far he stuck his tongue out, he simply could not reach the carrot. Suddenly, Angel's left ear twitched as he heard someone approaching. He turned his head to the side and saw none other than Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth approaching. The beaver trundled along, sniffing the ground, until he raised his head and suddenly noticed Angel Bunny stuck to the tree, much to his surprise. Angel struggled against the tree sap glueing him to the tree as he looked to Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth in desperation. Mr. Beaverteeth looked back at the bunny, and a smile spread across his face. Angel Bunny was far from the nicests animal around, let alone the nicest animal in Fluttershy's circle of animal friends. Quite frankly, the two were far from being the closest of friends. The two have traded plenty insults and potty mouthed arguments many times in the not so distant past. In short, Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth did not like Angel Bunny. The beaver then noticed the carrot glued to Angel's chest, and his smile got even wider. With a wicked gleam in his eye, Mr. Beaverteeth reached out and grabbed onto the carrot tightly. Angel gasped and frantically shook his head, crying out fearfully. Mr. Beaverteeth just smiled and savored the moment, watching as Angel tried again to free his limbs from the tree sap. After a long, extended moment of this, Mr. Beaverteeth tightened his grip on the carrot even more. Angel felt this and immediately stopped moving. He then widened his eyes and smiled down at the beaver, and the beaver's response was to keep on smiling and let out two small sniffs from his nose. RIIIP! Angel's pupils shrank, then his eyes bugged out, and then he unleashed the loudest scream of his entire life. 4Angel Bunny walked stiffly through the forest, looking down at his body. Both his back and his front were covered with a green herbal paste he had mashed together after finally gaining the courage, and rage, he needed to rip himself off of the tree. Zecora had taught Fluttershy how to make it. It apparently was a potion for regrowing animal fur. Angel pulled his silver stopwatch out and looked at the time. He nodded, confident that enough time had passed, and then frowned as he began to peel the paste off of his chest. His frown became a smile as he saw white fur underneath. He quickly peeled the green pasted off of his body, revealing perfectly restored white fur. Angel stood proudly of his ingenuity, and then resumed sniffing around for the carrot Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth had stolen. Angel followed the scent out of the dense forest and to a small river. However, up the river was a very large beaver dam. Angel looked up at the large structure of wooden sticks, logs, and mud for a moment, then his eyes zeroed in the a small bit of orange in a sea of brown. Angel quickly ran up the side of the river and arrived at the base of the large dam. The structure ascended up at least 8 meters up, a very impressive structure indeed. Up near the top was the large carrot, stuck prominently into the dam like a trophy. Angel quickly climbed up the side of the dam, and raced up towards the carrot. Once he reached it, he smiled and grabbed it with his paws. He gave it a tug, only for it to not move. He frowned and stuck his feet into the dam, and then tugged the carrot again, only to quickly run out of breath. Angel scowled and grabbed the carrot tight and pulled so hard that his arms stretched out all the way. POP! Angel nearly fumbled the carrot, but got a hold of it and held it close. There was then a loud squeak from above, and Angel looked up to see Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth, glaring down at him with his paws at his sides. Before this situation could escalate any further, a rumbling sound caught Angel's attention. Then, a spurt of water suddenly shot out of the spot where the carrot had been. Mr. Beaverteeth's scowl got even more fierce as he pointed to the carrot in Angel's paws. Angel shoot his head and quickly stuck his right paw into the hole, plugging the leak. Angel smiled, and he held the carrot in his left paw and brought it up to his open mouth. However, his right ear twitched as it picked up another sound. Then, another spurt of water burst out of the dam near Angel's right foot. Angel huffed and promptly plugged up that hole too. Angel went to try and eat the carrot in his left paw again, only to be interrupted by the loud, aggravated, potty mouthed chittering of Mr. Beaverteeth. Annoyed, Angel looked up at Mr. Beaverteeth with a look of exhaustion and frustration. The beaver stood glaring down hatefully at the bunny, tapping his foot impatiently, when suddenly the sound of another spurt of water could be heard, this one far off from Angel and to his left. Now Mr. Beaverteeth was growing actually concerned, and he jumped off the top of the dam and climbed down to where the hole was. He quickly plugged it with his right paw and sighed with relief, until a another spurt popped out to his left. He quickly plugged that with his left paw, only for his eyes to fill with panic when he heard another spurt below him. Looking down, the beaver reached out with his left foot, stretching his leg and kicking at the spurt of water until he was able to plug the hole with it. Angel was laughing out loud as he watched the beaver's antics, and he smugly brought the carrot to his mouth to finally bite into it. At that moment, however, a new spurt of water shot out to his left. Angel stared awkwardly at it, and then Mr. Beaverteeth began to frantically explain to Angel what was currently at stake and what could most likely happen, and with not a single bad word throughout the entire explanation. Angel looked worriedly at the panic stricken beaver, then at the carrot in his paw. Angel groaned, and he tossed the carrot up onto his head and used his ears to hold onto it. With his left paw now free, Angel was able to plug the newest hole with it. The bunny and beaver clung to the side of the dam, their heavy breathing calming down bit by bit until they were both at ease. Mt. Beaverteeth turned to a group of beavers working in the woods some distance away and called out to them, then he turned to Angel and smiled. Angel smiled back, and the two of them shared a sigh of relief. Without a warning, a larger gush of water burst out from a spot in the dam right between the two of them. The two of them gasped, and they both kicked out their free leg and plugged the hole with their feet. Then the two of them gasped at the revelation that their feet were touching and both pulled their feet back out. The two of them then began arguing over who should plug the whole, their words and head gestures getting more and more furious and demanding, both of them completely oblivious of the loud rumbling sound coming from the dam. BOOOOOOM! The massive burst of the dam could be seen from a great distance, and the roar of the water nearly overshadowed the screams of the bunny and beaver caught in the flood. Angel held his breath as he flailed around wildly in the water. He tumbled and spun beneath the surface, and when he finally managed to right himself, he could see Mr. Beaverton paddling strongly with his webbed feet and strong flat tail, not overpowering the flood but keeping up with it. He paused in his swimming just in time to look right at Angel and make a slashing motion across his throat with his paw while sticking his tongue out. Angel then was once again at the mercy of the flood waters as he was washed right out of the river as the destruction of the dam had caused the river to overflow its banks. In no time at all, Angel was carried across a field and right over a cliff. Angel briefly surfaced just as the water went over the side of the cliff. Angel took a quick glance down and then flailed his arms and screamed as he fell straight down. 5The Sun beat down on Froggy Bottom Bog, its head hot and intense upon it. It was some time after the flood waters had rushed in from the massive overflow that occured due to the broken dam. At the moment, all was quiet as the water had long since become a part of the bog. All of a sudden, a pair of ears popped out of the surface of the bog. Then, Angel Bunny slowly rose out of the bog, completely caked in sticky mud and muck from the bog. Angel looked around with his eyes, the only things not covered in muck, and his eyes widened when he saw the big carrot floating on the surface of the bog a few steps away. Angel excitedly stepped over to it, but in midstep, he suddenly felt the mud around him harden and dry in the hot Sun. Angel stuck out a forepaw towards the carrot, only to have his paw stop a few centimeters away from it as his entire body was encased in a rabbit shaped cocoon of dried mud. From within the casing, Angel grumbled as he tried to shake himself free. He then peered down at the carrot, and the encased paw that was so close to it. With a huff, Angel shifted his weight forward once, then twice, and he could feel his body tilt forwards ever so slightly. The bunny grunted and groaned as he strained to tilt himself forward. With one final heave, Angel finally fell forward, and his mud encased forepaw made contact with the carrot. Angel let out a sigh of relief at the small victory. STOMP! The massive scaly foot of the hydra came down hard on top of Angel Bunny. Then the hydra continued to walk away, leaving only a massive footprint with a few bubbles rising to the surface of the bog. A few second later, a bubble rose up out of the bog and began to float upwards. Inside the bubble was Angel, somehow free of the shell of much, albeit dazed from the stomping. Angel blinked his eyes and looked around, and soon spotted a much smaller bubble floating next to the bubble he was in. Inside that smaller bubble was the carrot. The bunny immediately smacked his paws against the inside of his bubble, trying to break out and reach the carrot, but the bubble up to his assault as the carrot continued to float up and away from him. Angel fell back onto his tail and stared at his feet for a moment. Then he stood back up and jumped straight upwards, throwing himself against the top of the bubble. He did this over and over again, slamming himself against the top of the bubble to sent him upwards after the carrot. He made decent progress in his ascent, and was closing the distance between his bubble and the carrot's bubble,. However, one overzealous jump ended up sending his buck teeth into the bubble. He was stuck there for a moment, with his mouth up against the side of the bubble, and he pushed hard with his forepaws to free himself. His teeth eventually came out, but a noticeable hissing sound alerted Angel to the fact that his teeth had punctured the bubble. Angel immediately felt himself get propelled downwards from the air escaping from his now shrinking bubble. With a startled cry, Angel tried to turn the bubble so he would fly in the direction of the carrot. He did succeed in changing his direction from downwards to upwards, but he ended up flying right past the carrot and high up into the air. Eventually, he did slow down, only at this point he could barely move due to the bubble being so small that he was squished into a tiny ball. Angel squeaked nervously from inside the bubble, and then his body suddenly popped out of it, leaving only his head inside of the bubble. Angel kicked his feet aimlessly as he continued to float in mid air, until the eyes in his squeezed, orbed face lit up from an idea that struck him. Angle used his right foot to reach into his fluffy tail and pulled out a small pin. Holding the pin with his toes, Angel carefully touched the sharp tip to the side of the bubble, which instantly popped. Angel laughed as his ears were free to stick up again, only for them to promptly droop when he realized he was high up in the air, and then began to fall. Angel cried out in fear at first, but then stopped when he recalled that he was over Froggy Bottom Bog. Angel took out a yellow bathing cap and put it on his head, making sure to neatly tuck in his ears. He then took a deep breath and put his paws together as he went into a downward diving position as he quickly fell back down to the ground. SMACK! Angel cried out in pain after landing on a heavy stone boulder sticking up out of the bog. His entire body locked up as he stood on his chin, the only things moving were his witching feet that swung at their ankles. Even Angel's face was frozen in wide eyed pain as he remained there, patiently waiting for the pain to pass and for his body to eventually unlock. Angel could still smell the carrot, and he had a good idea where it had landed. So as storm clouds began to roll in and blot out the hot Sun, Angel still planned to head after the orange vegetable as soon he was no longer paralyzed from the pain of his botched high dive.
1In a darkened section of the Everfree Forest, the underbrush rustled from the small figure moving through it. The crunching of dead leaves and the rustling of tall grass could be heard amid the soundtrack of insects and birds. Out of several stalks of tall grass came the head of a white bunny rabbit. Fluttershy's closest animal companion was quite a ways from home at the moment. However, this wouldn't be the first time Angel Bunny had strayed into the Everfree Forest. Every once in awhile, Angel would not be content with a meal that the Pegasus had set before him. It would either lack in flavor, lack in effort, lack in freshness, or simply just be lacking. In the past, tantrums were enough to get what he wanted, but now all tantrums had gotten him was the Stare. Therefore, the bunny would have no choice but to search for something better himself. It turned out that the Everfree was home to some pretty large vegetables. As for why, maybe it was the fact that the forest's nature and weather was out of pony control, or perhaps it was because of the Tree of Harmony, or Discord's plunder seeds, or Nightmare Moon's residual influence. Not that Angel particularly cared about that. All he knew was that the Everfree had some big vegetables, he wanted them, and liked going for them. Now, the Everfree Forest did have a reputation of being dangerous. Angel Bunny also had a reputation as well. He wasn't your average, sweet, timid, defenseless prey. Angel was a rough and tough customer, not to mention speedy and quick witted. So, these occasional excursions into the Everfree were no big deal to him. With a empty, rumbling tummy, Angel hopped around the shadowy forest floor, sniffing the ground in search of anything large and edible. The bunny frowned as he continued along, until his nose suddenly caught whiff of something very appealing. Straightening up, Angel hopped forwards towards a bush, and then pushed his way right through it. Before him was a rather small clearing in the darkened forest, and in the center of that clearing were the leafy stalks of a carrot growing out of the ground. Angel smiled and chuckled happily at the welcoming sight of the carrot leaves, and he swiftly bounded over to them. As he did this, however, he failed to notice the ominous sign as he ran over it, his rabbit feet trampling over the grave and cryptic words: BEWARE THE CURSED CARROT THAT REFUSES TO BE EATEN! DO NOT TOUCH! Blissfully unaware of the warning, Angel Bunny ran up to the vegetable and stood rubbing his paws together and smirking like a super villain. He then grabbed the green stalks with his paws and gave them a tug. He could already see the orange of the carrot below peeking out of the dirt. Eager to get his paws on the sweet vegetable, Angel gave the carrot top three swift tugs. The carrot was clearly quite big, as while it did move upwards a few inches, most of it was still securely stuck below the ground. The impatient bunny that he was, Angel huffed and chomped onto the green carrot leaves, swiftly eating them up leaving only a short green stem left on the carrot. He then grabbed the sides of the orange top of the carrot and twisted it left and right twice in each direction in an attempt to unscrew the carrot out of the ground. This did make some progress, as now the carrot was halfway out of the ground. And yet, this was a rather large carrot, about as tall as Angel himself minus his ears. With his impatience growing, Angel Bunny let go of the carrot and laid down on the ground in front of it. He then put both of his big rabbit feet on either side of it, gripping it tightly, eyes closed and face scrunched up in exertion, and pulled upwards three times. CRACK! Angel's eyes popped open and his body froze as both of his ears shot upward. Then his right ear twitched as it began to pick up some sounds coming from beneath him. CRACK-crack-crackle-crackle. . . As Angel laid on his back and looked between his big feet, he could see a crack snacking out from where the tip of the carrot was still stuck in the ground. He watched as rocks and dirt popped out of the crack as it moved forwards and away from him and the carrot. Angel then looked up and suddenly saw the reason for why this section of the Everfree Forest was so dark even though it was in the middle of the afternoon. There was a large cliff shadowing this part of the forest, and the crack was racing right up the side of this cliff. Angel sat up and watched as the crack went all the way up the cliff-face and then over the top of it. POP! Angel could see bit of rock go flying at the top of the tall cliff, but his ears could also pick up the sound of moving earth and sliding stone grinding against more stone. Then a large section of the cliff appeared to just come loose and fall down several feet before it then started to slid forward, headed right for him. Angel's ears finally moved out of their straight position and hung down low as the bunny gulped nervously. As the shadow of the huge section of cliff loomed over him, Angel got back up on his feet and ran back the way he had come. However, about three seconds into his running, he paused mid step and swiftly turned around towards the large carrot, it's tip still wedged into the ground. Angel's chest heaved as his eyes darted between the carrot and the approaching cliff. He then reached into his fluffy tail and pulled out his silver stopwatch. He took a good look at it, doing a few quick calculations in his head, then he put it away and ran back towards the carrot. Upon reaching the vegetable, Angel grabbed it with one paw and swiftly turned around to take off with it. Angel let out a gasp when his dash was stopped by the carrot's refusal to come out, as there was still a good two inches of it stuck in the ground. Angel turned around and grabbed the carrot with both paws, then gave a strong tug straight upwards. When the carrot still didn't budge, Angel threw his head back and pulled it at an angle, grunting and groaning and throwing his back into it. Angel caught his breath for a moment, only to let out a gasp when he saw the approaching cliff. The bunny turned away from the source of the dark shadow, shaking his head and closing his eyes, and then ran around to the other side of the carrot and tried pushing it with his paws. Angel ran forwards as he pushed, his feet unable to find purchase in the soft, loose soil. When this technique failed, Angel ran back around the carrot again and once again tried pulling it straight up, but to no avail. But then, an idea struck Angel, causing his ears to stick up like signal flags. He looked down at his big, strong feet, then at the carrot. Then he quickly lifted his left foot and placed it against the side of the carrot. Then he grabbed hold of the vegetable with his paws and pulled with all his might while pushing off with his foot. POP! Angel went flying backwards and landed flat on his back, and large carrot landing on his stomach. As Angel instinctively grabbed the carrot with his paws, he looked and let out a horrified scream as he saw the massive boulders and pointy chunks of rocks that were being kicked up the moving cliff headed in his general directions. Angel quickly got up and ran for his life as the giant stone projectiles smashed into the ground inches behind him. Trees and bushes were taken out all around him as the rain of stone crushed everything in its path. All Angel could focus on was running away as fast as he could while still holding the large carrot in his paws. Angel tore through a bush and ended up jumping off the top of a steep incline. In desperation, Angel moved the carrot underneath him so that he landed on top of it and was now riding it like a sled down the incline. Angel's eyes were wide as he was on the cusp of hyperventilation, his chest heaving up and down. Then, a dark shadow was cast over him. He looked up and saw a massive boulder flying through the air right above him. Angel let out another scream and leaned forward, willing his carrot sled to go just a little faster as he approached the bottom of the incline. CRASH! Angel was suddenly stopped cold as along with the crash of the boulder he could feel his fluffy tail being flattened. Angel looked behind him and saw that the boulder hand landed a centimeter away from crushing him, only managing to land on his tail. However, the boulder was slowly rolling forward, moments away from crushing the rabbit completely. Angel pulled the carrot out from under him and held it outward as he felt his but beginning to be flattened. He then stabbed the tip of the carrot into the ground in front of him and used it as an anchor to pull his body free from the boulder. Just as the boulder was rolling onto his feet and legs, the pop-eyed bunny gave one final desperate tug, and both he and the carrot were inexplicable flung out from under the boulder and into the air. Angel flailed his arms and legs, and immediately grabbed hold of the carrot and held it close. He smiled smugly at his ingenuity, taking pride in his escape from the boulder. Then he looked down, and he let out another terrified scream as he saw that was falling over the side of yet another cliff. Angel held up his carrot as he landed on his stomach and slid down another incline, then hit a ramp-shaped rock that sent him upwards and caused him to lose hold of the carrot. Angel bounced down the incline, landing on his head twice, then on his stomach, then his back, then face flat on level ground. He laid there for a moment, his nose twitching to show that he was still alive. Then he opened his eyes, and made a shaky attempt to get up. He realize that his buck teeth were stuck into the ground, and took a moment to pull them out and shake off his dizziness. He stood up on his feet and looked around, and saw that was no longer in the Everfree Forest, but still somewhere in the wilds of nature. Angel's eyes then widened as he recalled the reason for his harrowing experience, and he looked around for any sign of the large carrot. He sniffed around for it a bit, only to slouch slightly when he found no trace of the vegetable. Angel's stomach gurgled loudly, and tears welled up in his eyes as Angel stood dejected with his ears hanging low. Clunk! Something struck Angel in the back of the head, causing him to wobble slightly from a new bout of dizziness. Angel blinked his eyes and shook his head in shock when he saw the carrot lying on the ground in front of him. Angel quickly grabbed the carrot and hugged it, smiling in relief and sniffing it from top to tip. With a big grin on his face, Angel stood up tall, held the carrot up to his mouth, and prepared to take a bite. Stomp! A pale yellow pony hoof suddenly came down on top of the bunny, squashing him while also causing the carrot to go flying out of his paws. "Huh? What the-?" "What is it Sandbar?" "I think I stepped on something." "Ewwww." "No-no-no, wait. It actually. . .felt nice and soft." ". . .Yeah. . .riiiiiight. . ." "No, Smolder, really. I swear! I'm being totally honest here." ". . .Fine, make way." The pale yellow hoof was raised, and three more hooves followed it away. Angel lifted his head out of the hoofprint. Angel blinked his eyes and looked around dizzily. STOMP! An orange dragon foot came down even harder on top of the rabbit, and this one pressed down and twisted slightly while atop the rabbit. "Huh. . . how about that? He's right. It is pretty soft. Feels better than walking on hard igneous rocks, that's for sure. You want a turn, Ocellus?" "Oh, I don't know. . . I mean, we don't even know what's going on here." "C'mon, it's safe. Don't you like learning and stuff?" The orange scaly foot came back up, and Angel quickly sat up with a pained yet dazed expression on his face as it and a second scaly foot followed and left him behind. "Well . . .okay, for the sake of research. . ." Stomp! A light blue chitinous hoof landed on the bunny, pressing down slightly after landing. ". . .Interesting. . .it is rather soft. . . Like a pillow." "Really?! Cool! My turn!" "Sure, Silverstream." The light blue chitinous hoof was lifted, and it joined three others in gently and daintily tip-toeing away. Angel rolled over and raised his arms, along with his left foot. Thump! A magenta colored talon landed heavily on Angel, but quickly bounced off leaving Angel stunned and lying flat on his back. The flapping of wings could be heard coming from above as well. "Teeheeheehee! That was kinda bouncy! Your turn, Gallus!" "Ah. . .no." "Aww, come on, Gally! For me? Pleeease?" ". . .Ugh, okay, if that's what you want." Thump! An yellow eagle's talon came down right on top of Angel, and quickly went on its way, followed by another eagle talon and two blue lion paws. "There. I did it. I felt nothing." "Really? But it- oh, I know! Try using one of your paws instead!" "Ugh! Fine!" STOMP! One of the blue lion paws stepped backwards and landed hard on top of the bunny. "Heeeeey. . . .not bad. Not bad at all. . ." The lion paw pressed deep into the hoof print, the toes flexing as they felt around. "Yeah, it's kinda like a cloud, I guess. Nice pad support. Still weird though." The blue paw and its twin walked off, and Angel shakily reached his own soft white paw up out of the depression in the ground, his right eye twitching and both ears bent and crooked. "Yona's turn!" STOMP! A dark grey cloven hoof came down hard on top Angel with a solid, powerful impact. ". . .Why yak no feel anything?" The dark grey cloven hoof came up, this time with Angel stuck to the bottom of it. The hoof Angel was stuck to joined three others as Angel was walked off, and was squashed down hard into the ground again when another step was taken. "Strange. . .and there's nothing there now." "You're right, Ocellus. Whatever we were stepping on is gone!" "Forget it, Sandbar. It doesn't matter anyway. C'mon guys." "How can you say that, Gallus? We can't just leave this mystery unsolved!" "Ocellus. . ." The six creatures proceeded to walk away from the area, continuing to talk amongst themselves as they resumed their friendship nature hike, while Angel continued to soundlessly cry out in pain as he was repeatedly stomped into the ground beneath the hoof of the yak with every step the yak took. "You know, we really should've just taken a moment to look down at what were stepping on." "Friend Silverstream is right! Why no creature stop and look? Now Yona miss out!" All the while, the carrot continued to bounce and roll away. Author's Note This fanfic is dedicated to Dinoman213. May he soon find his own special way to show off his writing skills on this site that can truly showcase his own creativity, imagination, and sense of humor.
2The rising Sun peeked over the horizon and shed its light upon the six creatures still asleep at their campsite. They had all agreed that there was no need to bring any tents. The weather was so warm and absolutely lovely that they could rest in their sleeping bags under the stars. As the new day dawned above, movement could be seen within Yona's sleeping bag. All night, Angel Bunny had been trying his hardest to peel himself off the underside of the yak's cloven hoof. Being stomped over and over and over during the duration of the long hike had gotten him quite flat against the hoof. After so many hours, however, Angel had finally freed himself, and was able to carefully crawl out of Yona's sleeping bag. The yak rolled over in her sleep and snored loudly in the bunny's face. Angel gagged at the yak's breath, and quickly crawled away from her, coughing a few times as he laid on the ground. Angel laid still a moment to catch his breath, then slowly got up to his feet and stretched his back out a bit. At the height of his stretch, his spine gave a click, and a look of blissful relief crossed Angel's face. The bunny then reached behind him and fluffed his tail out a bit, then he smiled and nodded, and went to take a step forward. Whoosh! Angel's ears were suddenly seized by a yellow eagle talon, and the bunny was hoisted up into the air. Angel was then turned so that he could see the creature who had grabbed him. Gallus smiled as he looked the bunny up and down. Angel's coughing from earlier had woken him up, first to the blue griffon's annoyance, but then to his delight. "Alright, I'd say that you're just the right size for breakfast," Gallus said, grinning with a hungry look in his eyes. Angel let out a soft scream as the griffon lifted the bunny up higher. Then Gallus tilted his head back and opened up his beak, and held the bunny right over his wide open mouth. Angel flailed around wildly, and ended up kicking Gallus in the lower beak, causing Gallu's beak to snap shut with loud sharp clack. The griffon to let out a loud squawk of pain from the vibrations that ran through his beak and face, dropping the bunny to the ground in the process. "OWW! Why you-!?" Gallus began as he rubbed his beak. Silverstream suddenly sat up quickly said, "What!? What is it!? What's going on!?" Yona sleepily rubbed her eyes and said, "Why griffon wake everycreature up?" Smolder, not at all pleased by being woken up, growled as she sat up as well, saying, "My thoughts exactly, Yona." Ocellus, ever the observant one, took a good look at the surroundings and said, "Where did that bunny come from?" Silverstream tilted her head and drawled out, "Awwww! So cute!" Sandbar looked at the bunny in surprise and said, "Hang on. . . That's Angel! He's Professor Fluttershy's bunny!" "Uh-oh," Smolder muttered. The other five creatures all got out of their sleeping bags and gathered together near the bunny and griffon. Angel finished dusting himself off, then he shot Gallus a rather dirty look. "Hmmph!" Gallus replied. Ocellus looked at Angel and said, "Very strange. I wonder what Professor Fluttershy's bunny is doing all the way out here?" Sandbar shrugged and said, "Too bad Professor Fluttershy isn't here. She could just ask him for us." Gallus rolled his eyes and said grumpily, "Well she ain't here, so I guess we'll never know." Angel blinked at this, then slowly turned to Gallus, smirking an evil smirk as he did so. Then Angel turned back to others, wearing a innocent look on his face, and cupped his right paw against the base of his right ear. Ocellus looked curiously at the bunny and said slowly, "Sounds like. . .?" Silverstream gasped and clapped her talons giddily, "Ohmigosh! Charades! I LOVE Charades!" Angel smiled broadly and nodded at the changeling and hippogriff. Silverstream smiled and nodded back, and said eagerly, "Okay, okay! Sounds like . . .what?" Angel put on a frown and began sniffling, and he ran his paws down his cheeks under both of his eyes. Ocellus nodded and said, "Sounds like cry. . .Hmmm . . .Fly?" "High? Thigh? Sigh?" Silverstream guessed wildly. "Try?" Sandbar offered. Angel pointed to Sandbar and nodded. "Okay," Sandbar said, "What's next?" Angel held up two digits on his right paw. Smolder raised an eyebrow and asked, "Two? Two what?" Angel shook his head, and he cupped his paw against the base of his ear again. "Sounds like two?" Smolder said as she tapped her foot, "You mean like, 'try to', or would that be 'tried to'?" Angel hopped up and excitedly at Smolder's second guess. "Okay. . ." Smolder said as she stood with one claw on her hip, "So, tried to what?" Angel opened his mouth wide and pretended to chomp on something, pausing occasionally to lick his lips or swallow. "Ooh, ooh! Yona knows this one! Eat!" the yak cried out proudly. Angel smiled at Yona and nodded. "Okay then," Ocellus said, "So, tried to eat. . .what?" Angel made his eyes as big as he could, put on the saddest face he could muster, and timidly pointed at himself. Silverstream gasped in horror and exclaimed, "Somecreature tried to eat you, Angel!?" Angel nodded his head sadly. Silverstream frowned in righteous fury and said, "That's terrible! That's awful! What kind of horrible, terrible, heartless, evil monster would do such a thing!" In the corner of his eye, Angel could see that Gallus was fidgeting and beginning to sweat. Angel considered simply pointing at him, but the mischievously devious part of him decided it would be more fun to drag it out a bit longer. So, instead, Angel cupped his paw against the base of his ear again, and then played an air guitar for a bit before pretending to flip a switch up. Smolder looked at Angel in utter confusion and said, "Sounds like. . . guitar switch? Huh?" Angel frowned impatiently and shook his head, and he want back to playing his air guitar, putting emphasis in harshly strumming the strings. Yona's brow furrowed in thought as she said, "Does bunny mean. . .music? Song? Noise?" Sandbar rubbed his chin with his right forehoof and said, "It looks like he's. . .riffing that guitar-." Angel smiled and pointed at Sandbar, nodding his head up and down quickly. Sandbar's eyes lit up, "Oh, riff! Sounds like riff!" Angel nodded, and he started to mime flipping a switch up over and over. The light left Sandbar's eyes as he said awkwardly, "Yeah, I don't know what he's doing now. Sorry." "Hmmm," Ocellus said, "I wonder what he's turning on by-." Angel let out an excited squeak and pointed at Ocellus. The changeling blinked and said, "What did I say?" "On?" Sandbar guessed. Angel jumped up into the air and backflipped in delight. Silverstream gasped and happily briefly took to the air as well. "On! On! Sounds like 'riff on'! We got it!" Angel turned to Gallus and snickered. The blue griffon's tail was between his legs, and he was nervously digging his talons into the ground. Clearly Gallus wanted to be anywhere but where he was right now. Angel folded his arms and smiled with his eyes closed, standing with self righteous smugness. "Okay, okay, let's see. Sounds like 'riff on'. Hmmm," the hippogriff said as she hovered in midair, then she snapped her claws and said, "I've got it! Chevron!" Angel opened his eyes as his smile fell flat. Smolder stared at Silverstream and asked, "What's a chevron?" "Oh, it's a mark that hippogriffs in the navy wear on their uniforms," Silverstream explained, "They help show what their rank is or how long they've served. Auntie Novo told me a lot about the hippogriff navy and royal guard." ". . .I don't think a chevron can eat bunny," Smolder said in a flat tone with a deadpanned expression. Silverstream blinked her eyes, then blushed as she landed back down on the ground. "Oh yeah. Sorry." Ocellus scratched the side of her head with her forehoof and said, "Hmmm. . .sounds like 'riff on.' 'Riff on.' Hmmmm. . ." "Chiffon?" Sandbar suggested. "Okay, what's that?" Smolder said, now sounding annoyed. "It's a type of cake," Sandbar replied. Yona laughed and said, "Silly Sandbar! Chiffon isn't cake! Chiffon is dress!" During all this, Angel's mouth was hanging open as he stared at the five youn creatures in disbelief. Then he slowly turned to look at Gallus, who now had a comical grin on his beak. Eager to get rid of that grin, Angel grunted and pointed furiously at the griffon. But when he turned back to the five creatures, he saw that they were no longer looking his way and were now focused on each other as they engaged in a focused discussion. "Actually," Ocellus interjected, "The word chiffon can be used to describe either a type of cake or a type of dressmaking fabric." "Whatever!" Smolder shouted, "Neither of them could eat a bunny!" "They could if Discord brought them to life," Sandbar suggested. Yona shuddered and said, "Yona no like Discord! Discord sent monsters after Yona!" Silverstream gulped nervously and said, "That sure sounds creepy. An evil cake monster that eats you. Or an evil dress that swallows you when you dry to put it on! Scary!" Angel thumped his right foot harder and faster to try and get the other creatures attention as he continued to furiously point at Gallus. The griffon could tell that his luck was going to run out pretty soon, so with quick thinking, he recalled the time he visited Sweet Apple Acres and turned around so that the bunny was right behind him. Then, after taking a deep breath and steeling himself, Gallus bucked with his right hind leg with all his might, and the blue lion paw struck Angel dead center and sent him flying and spinning up and over the trees and into the forest. When the bunny's screams had faded away and the bunny himself was out of sight, Gallus breathed out to calm himself, then turned to his friends, still deep in their discussion of cakes, dresses, and words with multiple meanings, and he said, "Hey, he's gone!" Everycreature stopped talking and looked at the spot where Angel was a moment ago. "Where'd he go?" Ocellus asked. Gallus shrugged, "I don't know. We were all so busy talking, I guess he gave up trying to talk to us and decided to head home on his own." Silverstream looked worried, and she said, "Oh dear! He's all alone! We should try to find him and bring him back to Fluttershy!" Gallus shook his head and waved a talon carelessly. "Forget it," he said, "That bunny is no wimp. He can take care of himself." "But-," Silverstream began, only to be interrupted by Smolder. "Gallus is right," the orange dragon said, "Spike told me all about that little rodent. He's a jerk. Not to mention tough and totally not a pushover. He probably beat up whoever or whatever tried to eat him and is just trying to get sympathy and free food from us. If even half of what Spike told me about that bunny is true, then he'll make it back home safe with no problem. Trust me." Silverstream scratched her beak and said, "Well. . . ." Then she perked up and said with a smile, "Okay!"
3The blue griffon's buck would have made any Apple Family member proud. The forced of the blue lion paw against the rabbit's body sent Angel flying quite a distance. And not just flying, but spinning too. Angel tumbled and spun through the air high above the trees, until he finally began to fall downwards at an angle towards the forest. Splat! Angel's back collided with the side of a medium sized tree, and the rabbit hung there, gasping for breath after his wild ride through the sky courtesy of Gallus. Eventually, Angel began to wonder why he was seemingly stuck to the side of the tree . He blinked, and tried to move tail, only to discover that his entire bottom was stuck to the tree. It didn't take long for Angel to come to the conclusion that he had smacked against a tree that was oozing tree sap. Angel groaned, resenting the fact that he looked like one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders before they got their Cutie Marks. He hung his head low in shame, his ears hanging even lower. But then, his ears shot up when he saw the bright orange carrot from earlier on the forest floor below him. His stomach growled, and Angel focused on the carrot below as he planted his feet flat against the side of the tree. He then used his paws to push himself upwards, even as the tree sap still held onto his rear. Angel struggled as he walked down the side of the tree, struggling against the pull of the tree sap. Clenching his teeth, and Angel reached forward as he gripped the rough bark of the tree with his feet. Soon enough, he made it to the bottom, still with a stretched out glob of tree sap covering his tail. Angel licked his lips as he approached the large carrot. Soon the vegetable was only two steps away, and Angel was smiling eagerly as raised his paws to grab it. WHAM! The tree suddenly began uprooted, the tree sap connected it to Angel snapped the tree down right on top of him. The uprooted tree then rolled sideways down into a ravine, where it landed onto some rocks, causing it to rest at an upward angle. Angel Bunny was dazed by being slammed by the tree, but when he regained his senses, the first thing he saw was the carrot on the ground a few inches away from him. Angel went to grab it, only to discover that now he could barely move his entire body. The sticky sensation all over him made him realize that when the tree had landed on him, it had also oozed so much tree sap that it had glued his entire body to the side of the tree, spread eagled yet. Angel looked around nervously, then his eyes fell upon the carrot. When the tree fell, it had also sent tree sap flying in all directions, and one glob of the sticky substance had landed on the carrot. This gave Angel an idea, and he quickly began to puff out his fuzzy chest towards the carrot. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head as he bent his knees and elbows, forcing his body out towards the carrot. Then, after such great exertion, Angel's tummy finally made contact with the carrot. Angel gasped out with relief as relaxed his body. He smiled down at the carrot stuck to his chest, and he opened his mouth and moved his head down towards it. Then Angel opened his eyes, and he made several more attempts to move his head down. He struggled to crane his neck down to it, only to find that he could not reach the carrot. Angel stuck out his tongue, desperately trying to taste the carrot, but not matter how much he craned his neck or how far he stuck his tongue out, he simply could not reach the carrot. Suddenly, Angel's left ear twitched as he heard someone approaching. He turned his head to the side and saw none other than Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth approaching. The beaver trundled along, sniffing the ground, until he raised his head and suddenly noticed Angel Bunny stuck to the tree, much to his surprise. Angel struggled against the tree sap glueing him to the tree as he looked to Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth in desperation. Mr. Beaverteeth looked back at the bunny, and a smile spread across his face. Angel Bunny was far from the nicests animal around, let alone the nicest animal in Fluttershy's circle of animal friends. Quite frankly, the two were far from being the closest of friends. The two have traded plenty insults and potty mouthed arguments many times in the not so distant past. In short, Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth did not like Angel Bunny. The beaver then noticed the carrot glued to Angel's chest, and his smile got even wider. With a wicked gleam in his eye, Mr. Beaverteeth reached out and grabbed onto the carrot tightly. Angel gasped and frantically shook his head, crying out fearfully. Mr. Beaverteeth just smiled and savored the moment, watching as Angel tried again to free his limbs from the tree sap. After a long, extended moment of this, Mr. Beaverteeth tightened his grip on the carrot even more. Angel felt this and immediately stopped moving. He then widened his eyes and smiled down at the beaver, and the beaver's response was to keep on smiling and let out two small sniffs from his nose. RIIIP! Angel's pupils shrank, then his eyes bugged out, and then he unleashed the loudest scream of his entire life.
4Angel Bunny walked stiffly through the forest, looking down at his body. Both his back and his front were covered with a green herbal paste he had mashed together after finally gaining the courage, and rage, he needed to rip himself off of the tree. Zecora had taught Fluttershy how to make it. It apparently was a potion for regrowing animal fur. Angel pulled his silver stopwatch out and looked at the time. He nodded, confident that enough time had passed, and then frowned as he began to peel the paste off of his chest. His frown became a smile as he saw white fur underneath. He quickly peeled the green pasted off of his body, revealing perfectly restored white fur. Angel stood proudly of his ingenuity, and then resumed sniffing around for the carrot Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth had stolen. Angel followed the scent out of the dense forest and to a small river. However, up the river was a very large beaver dam. Angel looked up at the large structure of wooden sticks, logs, and mud for a moment, then his eyes zeroed in the a small bit of orange in a sea of brown. Angel quickly ran up the side of the river and arrived at the base of the large dam. The structure ascended up at least 8 meters up, a very impressive structure indeed. Up near the top was the large carrot, stuck prominently into the dam like a trophy. Angel quickly climbed up the side of the dam, and raced up towards the carrot. Once he reached it, he smiled and grabbed it with his paws. He gave it a tug, only for it to not move. He frowned and stuck his feet into the dam, and then tugged the carrot again, only to quickly run out of breath. Angel scowled and grabbed the carrot tight and pulled so hard that his arms stretched out all the way. POP! Angel nearly fumbled the carrot, but got a hold of it and held it close. There was then a loud squeak from above, and Angel looked up to see Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth, glaring down at him with his paws at his sides. Before this situation could escalate any further, a rumbling sound caught Angel's attention. Then, a spurt of water suddenly shot out of the spot where the carrot had been. Mr. Beaverteeth's scowl got even more fierce as he pointed to the carrot in Angel's paws. Angel shoot his head and quickly stuck his right paw into the hole, plugging the leak. Angel smiled, and he held the carrot in his left paw and brought it up to his open mouth. However, his right ear twitched as it picked up another sound. Then, another spurt of water burst out of the dam near Angel's right foot. Angel huffed and promptly plugged up that hole too. Angel went to try and eat the carrot in his left paw again, only to be interrupted by the loud, aggravated, potty mouthed chittering of Mr. Beaverteeth. Annoyed, Angel looked up at Mr. Beaverteeth with a look of exhaustion and frustration. The beaver stood glaring down hatefully at the bunny, tapping his foot impatiently, when suddenly the sound of another spurt of water could be heard, this one far off from Angel and to his left. Now Mr. Beaverteeth was growing actually concerned, and he jumped off the top of the dam and climbed down to where the hole was. He quickly plugged it with his right paw and sighed with relief, until a another spurt popped out to his left. He quickly plugged that with his left paw, only for his eyes to fill with panic when he heard another spurt below him. Looking down, the beaver reached out with his left foot, stretching his leg and kicking at the spurt of water until he was able to plug the hole with it. Angel was laughing out loud as he watched the beaver's antics, and he smugly brought the carrot to his mouth to finally bite into it. At that moment, however, a new spurt of water shot out to his left. Angel stared awkwardly at it, and then Mr. Beaverteeth began to frantically explain to Angel what was currently at stake and what could most likely happen, and with not a single bad word throughout the entire explanation. Angel looked worriedly at the panic stricken beaver, then at the carrot in his paw. Angel groaned, and he tossed the carrot up onto his head and used his ears to hold onto it. With his left paw now free, Angel was able to plug the newest hole with it. The bunny and beaver clung to the side of the dam, their heavy breathing calming down bit by bit until they were both at ease. Mt. Beaverteeth turned to a group of beavers working in the woods some distance away and called out to them, then he turned to Angel and smiled. Angel smiled back, and the two of them shared a sigh of relief. Without a warning, a larger gush of water burst out from a spot in the dam right between the two of them. The two of them gasped, and they both kicked out their free leg and plugged the hole with their feet. Then the two of them gasped at the revelation that their feet were touching and both pulled their feet back out. The two of them then began arguing over who should plug the whole, their words and head gestures getting more and more furious and demanding, both of them completely oblivious of the loud rumbling sound coming from the dam. BOOOOOOM! The massive burst of the dam could be seen from a great distance, and the roar of the water nearly overshadowed the screams of the bunny and beaver caught in the flood. Angel held his breath as he flailed around wildly in the water. He tumbled and spun beneath the surface, and when he finally managed to right himself, he could see Mr. Beaverton paddling strongly with his webbed feet and strong flat tail, not overpowering the flood but keeping up with it. He paused in his swimming just in time to look right at Angel and make a slashing motion across his throat with his paw while sticking his tongue out. Angel then was once again at the mercy of the flood waters as he was washed right out of the river as the destruction of the dam had caused the river to overflow its banks. In no time at all, Angel was carried across a field and right over a cliff. Angel briefly surfaced just as the water went over the side of the cliff. Angel took a quick glance down and then flailed his arms and screamed as he fell straight down.
5The Sun beat down on Froggy Bottom Bog, its head hot and intense upon it. It was some time after the flood waters had rushed in from the massive overflow that occured due to the broken dam. At the moment, all was quiet as the water had long since become a part of the bog. All of a sudden, a pair of ears popped out of the surface of the bog. Then, Angel Bunny slowly rose out of the bog, completely caked in sticky mud and muck from the bog. Angel looked around with his eyes, the only things not covered in muck, and his eyes widened when he saw the big carrot floating on the surface of the bog a few steps away. Angel excitedly stepped over to it, but in midstep, he suddenly felt the mud around him harden and dry in the hot Sun. Angel stuck out a forepaw towards the carrot, only to have his paw stop a few centimeters away from it as his entire body was encased in a rabbit shaped cocoon of dried mud. From within the casing, Angel grumbled as he tried to shake himself free. He then peered down at the carrot, and the encased paw that was so close to it. With a huff, Angel shifted his weight forward once, then twice, and he could feel his body tilt forwards ever so slightly. The bunny grunted and groaned as he strained to tilt himself forward. With one final heave, Angel finally fell forward, and his mud encased forepaw made contact with the carrot. Angel let out a sigh of relief at the small victory. STOMP! The massive scaly foot of the hydra came down hard on top of Angel Bunny. Then the hydra continued to walk away, leaving only a massive footprint with a few bubbles rising to the surface of the bog. A few second later, a bubble rose up out of the bog and began to float upwards. Inside the bubble was Angel, somehow free of the shell of much, albeit dazed from the stomping. Angel blinked his eyes and looked around, and soon spotted a much smaller bubble floating next to the bubble he was in. Inside that smaller bubble was the carrot. The bunny immediately smacked his paws against the inside of his bubble, trying to break out and reach the carrot, but the bubble up to his assault as the carrot continued to float up and away from him. Angel fell back onto his tail and stared at his feet for a moment. Then he stood back up and jumped straight upwards, throwing himself against the top of the bubble. He did this over and over again, slamming himself against the top of the bubble to sent him upwards after the carrot. He made decent progress in his ascent, and was closing the distance between his bubble and the carrot's bubble,. However, one overzealous jump ended up sending his buck teeth into the bubble. He was stuck there for a moment, with his mouth up against the side of the bubble, and he pushed hard with his forepaws to free himself. His teeth eventually came out, but a noticeable hissing sound alerted Angel to the fact that his teeth had punctured the bubble. Angel immediately felt himself get propelled downwards from the air escaping from his now shrinking bubble. With a startled cry, Angel tried to turn the bubble so he would fly in the direction of the carrot. He did succeed in changing his direction from downwards to upwards, but he ended up flying right past the carrot and high up into the air. Eventually, he did slow down, only at this point he could barely move due to the bubble being so small that he was squished into a tiny ball. Angel squeaked nervously from inside the bubble, and then his body suddenly popped out of it, leaving only his head inside of the bubble. Angel kicked his feet aimlessly as he continued to float in mid air, until the eyes in his squeezed, orbed face lit up from an idea that struck him. Angle used his right foot to reach into his fluffy tail and pulled out a small pin. Holding the pin with his toes, Angel carefully touched the sharp tip to the side of the bubble, which instantly popped. Angel laughed as his ears were free to stick up again, only for them to promptly droop when he realized he was high up in the air, and then began to fall. Angel cried out in fear at first, but then stopped when he recalled that he was over Froggy Bottom Bog. Angel took out a yellow bathing cap and put it on his head, making sure to neatly tuck in his ears. He then took a deep breath and put his paws together as he went into a downward diving position as he quickly fell back down to the ground. SMACK! Angel cried out in pain after landing on a heavy stone boulder sticking up out of the bog. His entire body locked up as he stood on his chin, the only things moving were his witching feet that swung at their ankles. Even Angel's face was frozen in wide eyed pain as he remained there, patiently waiting for the pain to pass and for his body to eventually unlock. Angel could still smell the carrot, and he had a good idea where it had landed. So as storm clouds began to roll in and blot out the hot Sun, Angel still planned to head after the orange vegetable as soon he was no longer paralyzed from the pain of his botched high dive.
